Example used to get "absolutely battered" before gigs.
The 31-year-old rapper-and-singer – real name Elliot Gleave – has revealed his drug and alcohol abuse was so out of control when he was first rising through the music scene, he struggled experimented with "every drug under the sun".
He said: "Back in the day, I did a lot of gigs where we were on tour with The Streets or artists from the label and because it was new to me, I didn’t really take it that seriously. I didn’t know what I was doing.
"I just thought this whole experience was going to end very soon and I thought, ‘F**k it, let’s just get absolutely battered every night.’ I’d probably have four cans of Stella before I even got on stage.
"It was like doing every drug under the sun and staying out late and blacking out and forgetting what you did, just behaving like a complete f***ing idiot."
The ‘Kids Again’ star is glad to have got the wild phase "out of my system" and feels more grounded following his marriage to Australian model-and-actress Emily McNaught last year.
He added to the Metro newspaper: "I’ve changed a lot. I’m quite happy I’m not a drug addict. I’m married and I’m focused."
Last weekend, Example treated 12 lucky fans with an all expenses paid trip to his gigs in London, Glasgow and Manchester as part of his Ultimate Weekender tour. The generous star even laid on a feast for 25 people – including his fans and entourage – at the Sauchiehall Street branch of Nando’s peri-peri chicken restaurant in Glasgow on Saturday (15.03.14).